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Freshman receiver Taurian Washington races toward the end zone on a 37-yard scoring play in the fourth quarter. The touchdown was thrown by quarterback Antonio Henton.

Hemmed-in Wells upset with himself -

A big man felt rather small yesterday.

Ohio State dispatched Youngstown State 38-6, but it was in spite of -- not because of --
Buckeyes sophomore running back Chris "Beanie" Wells.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound bruiser found the going tough against the Division I-AA Penguins. After
seven rushing attempts , he had just 3 yards.

"I wasn't focused," Wells said. "First half, my brain wasn't into the game. I didn't do a great
job."

Wells said Youngstown State put as many as nine players close to the line. On OSU's first drive,
after reaching the YSU 6-yard line, Wells carried for 2, 0, minus-1 and 0 yards.

OSU coach Jim Tressel said the Penguins might have had some penetration on several plays. He
also wondered whether a sprained ankle that held Wells out of part of the preseason might have
hampered him.

"Beanie missed some time, so it was important for him to get in," Tressel said. "Our goal was to
get him 20 carries, so we could get him back rolling in the direction he's capable."

In his freshman season, every time Wells had at least 10 rushes, he averaged at least 4.4 yards
per attempt.

Yesterday, even a 20-yard rumble in the third quarter gave him only 46 yards on 16 tries, a
2.9-yard average. He did have a 1-yard TD run.

"I feel like everybody deserves to see the best from me," Wells said. "I should've given my
best, and I didn't do that today."

Nothing but daylight

Freshman Brandon Saine saw nothing but daylight on his first carry, late in the first quarter,
and he went 18 yards.

"I saw the hole open, I sprinted for the hole and I don't know, I just got into the open field,"
Saine said. "It was amazing."

Saine looked much like the back who powered Piqua to a state high school championship.
Yesterday, he not only gained 42 yards on 10 attempts, he also scored his first collegiate
touchdown.

"They were both experiences I will remember for the rest of my life," he said of the state title
and his first college game. "But today was just amazing, especially compared to anything I've ever
done before."

Goodbye, Columbus

After catching four passes for 19 yards, Youngstown State tight end Louis Irizarry felt much
better leaving town than he did in the spring of 2004. Tressel dismissed Irizarry as a sophomore
after he was convicted of robbery.

Irizarry said it was a privilege to play in Ohio Stadium again.

"It's a Big Ten team and 100,000-some fans," he said. "To me, it's a sense of accomplishment to
be able to play one last time at Ohio State and go out on a good note."

Tressel told Irizarry afterward that he was proud of the way he was playing and that he hoped he
"would finish the year right."

Great Dane

Freshman receiver Dane Sanzenbacher couldn't have asked for more in his collegiate debut.

The Toledo Central Catholic product played extensively as the No. 3 receiver and lined up on the
right side on a third-and-goal play from the YSU 3-yard line.

Quarterback Todd Boeckman hit Sanzenbacher on a quick slant in the back of the end zone, giving
Sanzenbacher a touchdown on his first career catch.

"Basically, I just have to find a seam," he said. "When you're that close to the goal line, you
can't get too technical with it."

He was almost in a daze as the roar from the crowd of 105,038 rained down.

"My emotions were going wild," Sanzenbacher said. "You could hear it, but it was almost just
like a sound wave coming at you. It was a great feeling."

One that got away

Youngstown State missed its best chance of scoring a touchdown when quarterback Tom Zetts
overthrew tight end Derrick Bush in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 4 late in the second
quarter.

"If there is one thing I'll regret from this, it will be that," Zetts said. "(Quarterbacks coach
Brian) Wright tells me that Joe Montana always took a deep breath when a guy was too wide open.
Derrick Bush got behind their corner and I wanted to throw it over the top. I let it float out
there. I'll always want that one back."

Buckeye bits

Last season, three true freshmen caught TD passes (Jake Ballard, Brian Hartline and Ray Small).
Already this season, two have (Sanzenbacher and Taurian Washington). … OSU used its second-team
offensive line on a second-quarter TD drive that made it 21-3. The line was (left to right) Josh
Kerr, Daniel Dye, Andrew Moses, Connor Smith and Bryant Browning. … Senior linebacker Larry Grant
was the fourth OSU captain. The Buckeyes are rotating one captaincy among defensive players each
week.